Bowling game



Patented Oct; 4, 1927.

. amass. 'Bfinnw'ns, or'sr. aowisgivnssoum. I

Bow-Line 7 Application filed December This invention relates generally to a gameapparatus and particularly to a game apparatus intended for use on a comparatively level lawn or :other piece of ground, or in a large room where a playing field of considerable dimensions may be. marked off, the game being intended to afford amusement and healthful-exercise to the players as well as to tax'their skill and judgment in their efforts todefeat their opponents.

Briefly stated the game apparatus disclosed herein comprises means for marking 'ofi a playing field of' considerable dimensions and a plurality of members which are rolled al'ongthe playing field toward a tar-getat the opposite end of said playing field. The

I the opponent of the first mentioned, player object of the. ame is for the players to score pointsby rol ing their members to posit ons whei'etsaid members are closer to the target than are the membersrolled by their oppo- 'nents and the game is won by the first player or players who attain a predetermined number of points, or who shall score the highs est number of points in ,a predetermined number of innings, as the case may be.

Fig. I illustrates a side elevation of one ofthe targets of my improved game apparatus. 7

- Fig. II is an end elevation of the target illustrated in Fig. I.

Fig. III illustrates a playing field as it will appear when marked off'on a lawn. V

Fig. IV illustrates a playing field whereon a target has been arranged. a v

Fig. V is a view of a playing field after one of the playershas rolled his members toward the target. I

Fig- VI isa view of a playing field after has rolled his members toward the target.

In the drawing A designates a playing field which may be provided, when the game is to be played on the ground, by driving pegs B in the ground in-such position that when a cord C is stretched around said pegs from one to the other thereof a rectangular space within the cord will, be marked off. This space constitutes the playing field and the cord C is arranged close enough to the p ground so that the members rolled during the game may roll over same. The pegs B are so located that the playing field is approximately five feet wide by twenty feet long.

the enjoyment designates one of the targets forming 18, 192-5. Serial Hol78 193.

a part -of my improved game I apparatua The targets D are preferably approximately elliptical in shape except th'at the ends there of are fiat as shown in Figs. I and IIandsaid targets may be made of any suitable;

material, for instance, wood, rubber orgcel- J' i i I E designates members which are adapted. to be rolled by one'of th'eiplayers toward the targetD at the opposite end of the field, F

and F- designates the members adapted to be rolled bythe first mentioned player-ls opponent. The members E areof one color an'd the member's F are of a d fferent color so that the members of theopposing. players may distinguished from each other. Each individual member E and F is made of wood or any other suitable materialfand is preferably approximately ellipticalin shape e;X cept that the ends thereof are'fiat; In other.

words ,the membersE and F each have approximately the same shape asthe targets D but may bedistinguishedjjfrom said'ta-rgets because said targets are distinctively colored and also because said; targets may be somewhat larger than said'members E and ,F.

It is apparent that because of thefshape of the members E and F that it would be-exe ceedingly difiicult for the players to control the movement thereof'a'nd this adds much to of'the ame for it"is lain that if the members E and F had a different shape, round for instance, it would bepossible for 1 members to such extent that thegamj'e would be rather uninteresting. 'However, by employing the elliptical a skillful player to control the embersand F, i-

introduce an element of luckinto the game i which makes it possiblefor a novice tocope with an experienced player and-defeat him if luck is with thenovioe.) I a I will now describe the manner of playing my improved game and will mentionsome of the rules which regulate the playing thereof. i a Assume that the game is being played by four players-who are paired off as partners. One player and one of his opponents take. ositions at one end of the playing field and the first mentioned players partner. and the other opponent take positions at the opposite end of the playing field. It being previously decided which player shall roll first, the partner of said player at the. opposite end of the playing field places one ofthe ns y said target be placed not less than two feet] i from the adjacent'end of the playing field.;.

7 targets D in place on said playing field as shown'in Fig. IV, the rules requiring that The player who was designated to roll first then ro'll's'his elliptical members which may be the members E for instance, toward the] ital-get D and attempts to cause said ellipti ,cal members to come to rest as close as pos- [10.

sibleto the target, as shown in Fig. V. it is-then-ithe turn of the opposing player at the end-of the'playing field from which the first mentioned player played, and this play? er frollsfhis I elliptical members, the members instance, toward the target D and attem ts to cause them to come to rest closer to t e target than the'elliptic'al membersof 'th'e' 'player who playedfirst as shown inFig.

VI. Each player rolls four elliptical members and a point is scored for each elliptical 'm'ember' of a player which is closerto'the I I target-than'all of-his opponentselliptical umembersl After, the opposing players at ayers at'th'e opp'osite end of scribed; the partner of the player who scoredfthenpomtor points when play was froinfthe oppositeiend of the-field being the jfirsttorollp v v 3 about the p'laying field andit is'permissible The targets I) are {capable 1 of moving fora playerftostrikethe target with one of his felliptical members a-ndthus drive it Y awayifrom his opponents elliptical members;

which maybe rather closeto the target,

thereby giving thepplayerfrolling a better opportunity to .roll his elliptical members c ose'. tothetarg'et, The rulesof play call -for' a 'playerflb'emg penalized if desired for every "oneot his elli ,tical members which roll's 'oiffthe' playing held, this being designatedj'jas out'o f boundswor a fouli Also .11. penalty may bej'ejxactediffa player strikes a tar getfandfdrives ofi oft-he playing {'field 'andin this eventthe target is replaced on the pl'ayingifield at the transverse cen- 'tezfloif the fieldand two feet from the end lplaying field at his" end there-i of the playing field toward which' play is being directed. r

The predominantfeature-of the present invention and the point that differentiates .the game fromsimilar games is found in connection with the shape of the members E is apparent that because of the shape of the members E and F it would be very difficult to control same while they are being rolled and F and the shape of the targets D, for it and also because of the shape of the target the striking of said 'target'may result in ir-' regular movement being imparted thereto,

which could not easily be calculatedrbefore 7 hand.

It is obvious the game disclosed herein may be played in accordance with various rules and by players of various numbers.

For instance two, four, or a greater number of players may play a game, iand elevenor twentyone or any other number ofpoints may be designated as out. Also the winner or winners ,may' be determined by the player or players who have the greater number of points a predetermined number of innings, 0r turns at the opposite ends of the field, and progressive games may be played" by eliminating the losers from the game and matching the I Winners until winner is decided in the final matchi i the ultimate It is plain that I may give to the-targets L some shape other than the one they have in the drawing, for instance", said targets may be made-round. Whenth'e game is played indoors, some means other than the pegsB will be employed to hold the cord C but it is obvious that many substitutes for the. pegs:

may beused. I

I claim: 7 v An improved article of manufacture for use in playing a game, comprising an elongated member having its opposite ends uniformly tapered and terminating in flat surfaces, the cross-sectional shape of said memher in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof being elliptical, and in a di-'-' rection transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof being circular,'said member being of a substantiallyuniform density throughout.

I hereunto affix my signature.

ARTHURBQDENVES.

Intestimony that I claim the foregoing 1 

